You Know I'm Only Human
by sherrybaby
Summary: Six times Frankie's heart skips a beat.
1. Chapter 1

The first time his heart skips a beat, he sees Mary. She's standing across the room, her green dress clinging to her curves, her shoulders bare. She's with another man but staring straight at Frankie, and he could barely remember the words he was singing. He leans over to Tommy and asked about her only to find out she was a maneater, the Type A Ball-Buster Tommy told him to watch for. But Frankie was nothing if not ambitious, and during their battle of wits- and after getting her boyfriend kicked out- he manages to finagle a date out of her.

He'd never been with a girl- woman- older than him, much less one who exuded confidence and sex appeal. She makes him nervous but he had seen Tommy enough in action to deal with someone like her, at least enough to navigate himself through the unknown waters. He plays it cool and hopes its working. She gives him advice on his new last name- an 'I', not a 'Y' because it's a bullshit letter- and he's struck again by how sure of herself she is.

He can see why men fall for her, and he briefly wonders if she really _was_ unattainable, making some kind of game out of tearing men down. "Tommy warned me about you," he states after she answers his perfume question with a very sarcastic _'soap.'_ Matter of fact, she answers most of his questions with sarcasm, but he likes that. A lot.

"Yeah? What'd he say?"

"He said I couldn't handle you."

"That's because _he_ couldn't."

He knew why Tommy couldn't handle her. Tommy loves women, but he loves the ones who are all beauty and no brain. He had to feel in control and a woman like Mary would've sent him running for the hills. Not Frankie though; Tommy always underestimated him. That makes him smile but then she pokes fun at his height.

"Hey, why ya gotta say that kinda stuff?"

"C'mere." She leans across the table and this throws him off, but he leans in too and they kiss. He didn't really understand all that talk about love at first sight or feeling fireworks for that first kiss before this night. His legs felt like jello but then she pulled him out of his chair and tells him to call home.

Their one date turned to one night turns to weeks turned to a happy wedding, and he never manages to wipe that dopey grin off his face.

Years later, even when things aren't so good and there are more fights than laughter, when she throws an ashtray at him and screams him to get out, when she insults him and takes another swig of alcohol, when she falls asleep with a lit cigarette in her hand, all in view of the children, he can see the old Mary, the one he knew long ago. Even then, she never fails to make his heart stutter.


	2. Chapter 2

It was 1962, and Frankie was lighting a cigarette under a street lamp. He was waiting for his three friends outside of a closed diner at 11 pm. The last couple of days had been rough with Tommy blowing up at Crewe in the studio and Bob in a slump with the songs he had been writing. Times were stressful for everyone, and it was Nick who suggested a meeting. But of course, no one bothered to show up on time.

He was just about to head home when he heard footsteps walking quickly towards him, and was met by Bob, who had his hand up in greeting.

"Sorry I'm late! I had car trouble." Frankie waved him off and looked at his watch.

"Why'd Nicky even mention this if he wasn't gonna show?" Bob started to answer when he was cut off by a shout.

"Cool it, will ya? We're here," Tommy's rowdy voice bounced off the quiet walls.

" _Why_ are we here, Nicky? I'm tired of fucking around, we need to be practicing, we need to write. We need to get serious," Frankie snapped.

"That's why we're here. To practice," Nick replied, shrugging, as if it was obvious. The other three just stared at him.

"What do you mean, practice?" Bobby asked.

" _Practice._ Sing. We need to blow off some steam, we need to focus."

Tommy rolled his eyes, about to make a smart remark, but one look from Nicky and he took his place under the streetlamp.

Bobby stood to the right, Nicky across from him, Tommy to the left. Frankie hadn't even moved, but instead scoffed.

"Here," Nicky said, and pointed to the open space between himself and Bob. Frankie was hesitant, but as soon as Nicky started snapping the counts, he stepped in.

"Silhouettes."

Four days later, they were huddled around a phone, singing what would become "Sherry," and a week after that, he was listening to himself on the radio asking a girl to come out and dance.

He knew he was a good singer- great maybe- aspiring to be bigger than Sinatra, but as he listened, he felt his heart flutter and his stomach flip and a rush of excitement followed. The four voices mingling to create one sound made his fingertips tingled and he was reminded exactly why he did this.


	3. Chapter 3

Francine opened her mouth to wail again- her screams mirrored her mother's only moments earlier- but she quieted down as soon as she was placed in her daddy's arms. Her big, bright eyes stared up at him and her sobs turned to coos. He could remember the day Mary told him she was pregnant; he had picked her up and spun her around, feeling his heart jump in his chest, much like it was doing now. He was bursting with pride. She was tiny and he worried he'd drop her or lose her or something. He could barely take care of himself and now he was responsible for someone else. The thought was terrifying and amazing and he felt his face would split from smiling so much.

Mary had been asleep for an hour now and Frankie had his little girl in his arms, softly singing her to sleep. He was thankful for this small amount of time together, and it killed him to think he'd ever have to spend time away from her. This was a brand new person, not yet marred by life's cruel ways. She was pure and innocent, the exact opposite of him in every way, except looks. She had a tuft of dark hair and his eyes and his nose and there was no denying that this was his little girl. He'd do anything to protect her and he'd spoil her and show that he'd always love her.

His marriage had been a little rocky lately, but he still loved his wife, even if he didn't show it much. A small part of him foolishly hoped that Francine would mend things between the two parents, but he'd seen stay-together babies enough to know it failed more often than not. Francine, however, felt like a fresh start to him, a chance to do right by his wife and his family.

She softly sighed, and his heart jumped again, and his eyes welled up with tears. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and pulled a chair close to Mary's bed, settling in for the night. He smiled at the woman before him, happy that she was the last person he'd see before closing his eyes.


End file.
